
King Salman Global Academy Launches Arabic Equestrian Glossary
KSGAAL Secretary-General Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Washmi emphasized the academy's strategic role as Saudi Arabia's primary Arabic language reference, highlighting their glossary development efforts in serving key sectors. He pointed out the significant cultural importance of equestrianism in the Kingdom, leading to the glossary's development. It includes terms for competitions, participation, horse descriptions (physical, conformational, aesthetic), Arabian breed distinctions, colors, and ages.
By launching this glossary, the academy aims to support academic research in Arabic language and history through rich equestrian terminology, enrich Arabic content on horses and equestrianism, and strengthen its collaboration with the Equestrian Authority for continuous glossary updates that address new developments.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
01-08-2025
- Arab News
Wesal program looks to empower expats with work-based Arabic-language skills
RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launched its Wesal program on Thursday. Wesal is an educational initiative intended to help non-native speakers working in Saudi Arabia's public and private sectors. The program aims to provide linguistic training opportunities within institutional training plans, as part of the academy's initiatives to 'empower the Arabic language in professional and organizational contexts,' according to a statement. The three-month program will be held at the academy's headquarters in Riyadh, with a flexible schedule tailored to accommodate participants' work hours and commitments. Abdullah Al-Washmi, secretary-general of the KSGAAL, told Arab News: 'The Wesal program represents a qualitative step in activating the Arabic language and strengthening its presence in professional and practical fields across the public and private sectors, reflecting the academy's role in developing multilingual work environments within the Kingdom. 'Through Wesal we seek to equip a wide segment of non-Arabic-speaking professionals with functional language communication tools, enhancing their performance and deepening their connection to the national culture and identity. This program underscores the academy's commitment to its educational and developmental responsibilities, as well as its role in supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Human Capability Development Program,' he continued. The program covers aspects of the Arabic language focusing on key skills that support the functional use of Arabic in professional settings. It also includes content intended to enhance trainees' ability to perform their tasks efficiently within the context of Saudi culture, Al-Washmi explained. The new program is part of the academy's mission to consolidate the Arabic language and enhance its use across all fields of knowledge and communication, he added. Saad Al-Qahtani, head of the Educational Programs Sector at KSGAAL, told Arab News that the Wesal program offers communicative and functional content relevant to the real world of the workplace. It focuses on teaching Arabic in realistic administrative and professional contexts, away from traditional curricula of a general or academic nature, he said, and is based on a curriculum developed by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, but adapts activities and vocabulary to serve functional communication skills, such as writing official mail, handling administrative forms and participating in and managing meetings, while incorporating local administrative and cultural terminology. According to Al-Qahtani, the program adopts an initial language diagnostic mechanism to determine trainees' levels, in addition to gradually adapting the content to suit different levels. The design of language activities also takes into account the use of visual and contextual methods, employing intermediate language when necessary, and providing examples from diverse work environments to ensure greater inclusiveness and flexibility. Although the program has not yet received official accreditation from the relevant authorities in the Kingdom, its reliance on the CEFR framework aligns it with international best practices and paves the way for its future adoption as a recognized professional standard in the Saudi labor market, Al-Qahtani said. Bandar Al-Jasir, executive partner at public relations firm Syaq, told Arab News that he expects Arabic proficiency to become a seriously considered element in professional assessment, especially for positions that require deeper engagement with the local audience. Al-Jasir said that Saudi Arabia is leading efforts to build 'culturally aware artificial intelligence tools' and that the 'next challenge' is to ensure that these tools enhance the richness of the Arabic language, with human verification remaining a key element. The priority for business solutions, he believes, should be the Arabization of operating systems and user interfaces, the provision of effective language training programs, and the development of smart tools that handle Arabic with contextual awareness. Using Arabic internally naturally enhances corporate identity, according to Al-Jasir, who added that the 'real challenge' facing the Arabic language today is to preserve it in everyday conversation, particularly since English is becoming ever more widely used in 'informal business communication.'


Arab News
29-07-2025
- Arab News
Saudi artist spotlights Asir's rich cultural landscape in her artwork
MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia's lush Asir mountains inspired the artistic vision of Arafat Al-Asimi. Highlighting her early artistic endeavors, Al-Asimi said that she enjoys using pastel colors to paint natural and heritage landscapes. The mountains, valleys, the color gradations of the forests and the region's unique climate shaped her artistic imagination. Al-Asimi said that she feels most at home with nature and traditional landscape drawings, particularly those inspired by Asir, as they convey her deep sense of belonging and offer her psychological comfort and balance. She also shared her passion for incorporating Arabic calligraphy into her work, describing how it beautifully merges visual aesthetics with cultural identity. • Arafat Al-Asimi's artwork is inspired by Asir region's environment. • She developed her artistic talent through practice and experimenting with different materials. • She said that family support in the early stages has had a significant impact on boosting her self-confidence. With a background in geography, Al-Asimi said that her passion for art extended far beyond her studies. She continued to develop her talent through self-practice, experimenting with different materials, engaging in artistic community activities, and attending exhibitions that contributed in developing her talent and shaping her artistic identity from an early age. The absence of an art major at her university was not an obstacle, but rather the engine for self-development, allowing her to cultivate a distinctive artistic style despite the lack of formal academic training in the field. Speaking on challenges she faced at the beginning of her artistic career, Al-Asimi told Arab News that the most prominent of these were the lack of art specialization in university education, the lack of community and artistic support in the early stages of her career, and the difficulty of obtaining appropriate materials and tools. She also highlighted the challenge of proving herself as a female artist in a conservative environment, a struggle that required her to double her efforts to prove herself. However, she was able to overcome these challenges through persistence and continuous practice. Al-Asimi highlighted her participation in numerous exhibitions both within the Kingdom and internationally, describing these experiences as enriching. The events not only expanded her artistic vision, but also provided valuable opportunities for cultural exchange, enriching her portfolio with new horizons. She said that family support in the early stages has had a significant impact on boosting her self-confidence. Community encouragement, even through simple attendance or interaction, is an important motivator for an artist to continue, she added. Societal awareness of the value of fine art has been growing in recent years, providing Saudi female artists with broader opportunities to express themselves and demonstrate their abilities, she said. Expressing her ambitions, Al-Asimi said that she seeks to expand her presence in Saudi Arabia and Gulf art scene, and take part in major upcoming exhibitions locally and internationally to showcase her experience, inspired by the Asir environment. She also hopes to hold a solo exhibition documenting her artistic development and conduct art workshops for young girls to support local talent.


Arab News
29-07-2025
- Arab News
Displaced Sudanese stream home from Egypt after army retakes Khartoum
CAIRO: Toting large suitcases and bags of belongings, the Sudanese families crowding into Cairo's main railway station hoped to be returning to relative stability after fleeing Sudan's civil war. They are among thousands of displaced Sudanese streaming back home from Egypt into territory retaken by the Sudanese armed forces from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary in Khartoum and its environs since the start of this year. 'I miss every corner of Sudan, really. I'm very happy that I'm going back,' one of the returnees, Malaz Atef, told Reuters. The families were waiting to board a free train to the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, from where they would take buses to the Sudanese capital Khartoum. A couple of young girls wore hats reading, 'Thank you, Egypt' in Arabic. Over 4 million Sudanese fled to neighboring countries — including more than 1.5 million to Egypt — after war broke out between the army and the RSF in April 2023, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration, or IOM. Since the start of this year, over 190,000 people have crossed the border from Egypt into Sudan, more than five times the number who returned in all of 2024, an IOM report said earlier this month. Sudan's ambassador to Egypt, Emad el-Din Adawy, who visited the station on Monday, said the returns marked 'an important stage for reconstruction and bringing back stability.' Despite the relative calm in the capital, fighting between the RSF and the army is still raging in the central Kordofan region and Al-Fashir in Darfur in the west. The war, triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule between the army and the RSF, has displaced over 12 million people and pushed half the population into acute hunger, according to the United Nations. Some Sudanese in Egypt have complained of difficulty finding jobs and discrimination, and Egypt has deported thousands of refugees it says entered illegally. Thousands of others have fled onwards to Libya. The weekly trains from Cairo to help Sudanese to return home voluntarily have been financed by Sudanese businessmen, according to Adawy. The Sudanese who have gone back so far have mostly headed to Khartoum, as well as to Sennar and El Gezira states to the capital's south, according to the IOM.